Luxury watches: brands and pronunciation

Published in: News 01/09/2015

A wristwatch is more than a simple object created to tell time. A watch, nowadays, is a status symbol. Wearing an expensive watch means that you are successful and you can afford to spend a big amount of money. And when you have a Rolex or a Jaeger-LeCoultre on your wrist, we know that precision and reliability are not the main issues. One thing though, if you are wearing one of those watches, care at least to pronounce correctly the name of the brand. Discover the most expensive watches in the world and click and listen to their correct pronunciation.

Rolexis definitely the most renowned watch in the world. The Swiss company was founded by a German watchmaker and his British brother-in-law, in England, in 1905. The firm moved permanently to Switzerland in 1919. Rolex was a real innovator company in watchmaking: they were the first to create a water resistant wristwatch, to offer an automatic system to change the date on the dial, and to earn chronometer certification for a wristwatch. Dustin Hoffman, Daniel Craig, but also Eric Clapton and Plácido Domingo own a Rolex. Even Che Guevara wore a pricey Rolex on his wrist.

Jaeger-LeCoultre is a Swiss luxury watch company, founded by Antoine LeCoultre, in 1833. Edmond Jaeger, a watchmaker based in Paris, joined the company in 1903, and brought with him the ultra-thin movements he had invented. Clive Owen, the American actor who brags about his watch collection, was spotted wearing a Jaeger-LeCoultre. So was Robert Downey Jr.

Ulysse Nardin is a company founded by Ulysse Nardin, a Swiss skilled watchmaker, in Switzerland, in 1846. The firm is worldly known for producing extremely accurate marine chronometers. The company is also involved in developing new technologies through The Ulysse Nardin Watch Academy, which grants scholarships to those watchmakers who find new ways to enhance the performance of watches. Larry King owns a Ulysse Nardin wristwatch.

Piaget is a Swiss company and it produces luxury watches that are real pieces of jewelry. Founded in 1874 by Georges Piaget, the firm started selling only movements, to end up producing a new line of watches, afterwards. Piaget is worldly renowned for having created the thinnest automatic movements in the world. Anne Hathaway, Alec Baldwin, Aaron Eckhart have been spotted wearing a Piaget watch.

Audemars Piguet is a Swiss company founded by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet, in 1874. As Wikipedia puts it, “Tiffany & Co, Cartier and Bulgari purchase Audemars Piguet watches and rebrand them under their own brand names.” Tom Cruise owns an Audemars Piguet watch, so do sports celebrities like Lionel Andrés Messi and Novak Djokovic.

Breitling is a Swiss company founded by Léon Breitling, a 24 year old Swiss watchmaker, in 1884. He specialized in chronographs and soon he began to produce chronographs and chronometers for airplanes. The first Breitling wristwatch was created in 1942 and it became immediately a hit among pilots. The brand is pronounced in English but we don’t guarantee that Mister Léon Breitling would pronounce his name in the same way. David Beckham, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Russell Crowe, Gordon Ramsay wear a Breitling.

Vacheron Constantin is one of the oldest watch manufacturers in the world. The company was founded by Jean-Marc Vacheron, a Swiss watchmaker, in 1755. It was also the first firm to start exporting watches in France and Italy. Vacheron Constantin created one of the most expensive wristwatches in history, in 1979. The watch was called Kallista, and the price was $5 million.

Patek Philippe was founded by Polish Antoni Patek and French Adrien Philippe, both skilled watchmakers, in 1851. Their watches have always been most appreciated by royals. Among their crowned customers, we found Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, the king and queen of Denmark, and Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.

Last, but not least, Hublotis a Swiss company founded by Italian Carlo Crocco, in 1980. Grown up in a family of watchmakers, Crocco created a very elegant sporting watch with a bracelet made from natural rubber. The watch became immediately famous all over the world.